Wei Chen ignored the chat box as it grew more rowdy. He searched the sarcophagus and found that, besides the Flaming Lotus King's corpse, there were several weapons and artifacts laid beside him inside the coffin.
He quickly took them out and arranged them neatly on the ground, letting the broadcasting orb capture and broadcast everything.
Outside the screen, cultivators and artifact experts clamored.
"That! Isn't that the Flaming Dao Seed that was said to be lost for more than ten thousand years!?"
"Wait! That… that's the Crown of the Flaming Monarch. It's the crown of the Flaming Monarch!"
"Did you see that!? That sword… it's the Nine Sun Rendering Sword!"
The clamoring continued as people recognized artifacts and weapons lost to time. Many of them were rare and priceless.
"Err… I don't exactly know how valuable these things are, but I think they should fetch a very high price. Anyone in the chat have connections with an auction house? Tell me where I should put these up for auction," Wei Chen asked.
Azure Sky Elder: [Our auction house has a long history and enjoys the trust of many benefactors. I assure you our Azure Sky Conglomerate can satisfy you in terms of compensation.]
Little Wealthy Demon: [Me! Me! Send them to our Forbidden Treasure Pavilion! We have lots of things you might be interested in!]
Azure Sky Elder: [Huh? So you are related to Sky-Severing Demonic Valley?]
Little Wealthy Demon: [If so, what are you going to do about it?]
Azure Sky Elder: [Mr. Wei, I advise you not to associate with people from the demonic path. Even though you have already cultivated demonic techniques, you can still redeem yourself.]
Little Wealthy Demon: [Ha! Demonic technique? All techniques are tools. Do you even care if people die by sword or palm? As long as it can kill, anything can be used!]
Wei Chen smiled wryly. These two were at it again.
"Ok, there are six artifacts here. How about fifty-fifty? Azure Sky Elder will get three artifacts, and Little Wealthy Demon will get three artifacts," Wei Chen offered as a compromise.
Azure Sky Elder: [That's not appropriate.]
Little Wealthy Demon: [How can that be!?]
"Huh? Why not?" Wei Chen asked in confusion.
Little Wealthy Demon: [Think about it. This strange screen appeared all over the province, and you got these six artifacts from the Flaming Lotus Secret Realm. They're from the same set, the same place! All of them are extremely rare and legendary artifacts! Everyone would want them together in one place. They'll have more value and fetch a higher price if they're auctioned as a complete set.]
Azure Sky Elder: [The demon is right. It would be inconvenient for people who want the full collection. And the price will be much higher if they're auctioned as a set.]
"I see… you're right. Let me think about it. We'll negotiate again at Sword Manor. I plan to go there after this. Are you alright with that, Sect Leader Jian? Are you still in the chat?" Wei Chen asked.
Jian Ganglie: [It would be my honor to host all of you in my humble abode.]
"Ok, that settles it. We'll have an offline meeting in three days."
Little Wealthy Demon: [Offline meet? What's that?]
"I mean, we'll have a face-to-face meeting," Wei Chen explained, slapping himself on the forehead for blurting out terms from his previous life.
After resolving the problem with the two and securing all the treasures along with the Flaming Lotus King's corpse, Wei Chen returned to his stream.
"Sorry for the wait, folks. Just a little negotiation. Now let's continue from where we left off," Wei Chen said to the camera as he walked out of the tomb.
He stopped at a distance where the camera could capture the entire tomb structure.
"As you can see, this secret realm had an owner, and he had been waiting here for a long time to seize a new body. As you saw just a moment ago, his old body was damaged beyond repair."
The screen replayed the record of the Flaming Lotus King's corpse, showing the damage caused by the heavenly tribulation.
"Continuing to use his old body would have surely led to a swift death if he had been stubborn. The body's spiritual roots were damaged and could no longer support his cultivation journey."
"The only option left was to find a suitable new body, which led to the creation of this secret realm. And I dare say, situations like this make up the majority of secret realms out there," Wei Chen stated.
Sword Dao Genius: [Is that true? My sect's secret realm doesn't seem to be like that.]
Seeing a new cultivator in the chat, Wei Chen smiled and explained,
"Certainly. As I mentioned earlier in this live, the secret realms under most sects are much safer than newly discovered ones, because the sects have already ensured they're stable and not a threat to their members."
Sword Dao Genius: [Most sects? What do you mean?]
Little Wealthy Demon: [It's as he said. Some sects can't fight the owner, or are too tempted by the resources inside the secret realm, so they decide to strike a deal with the owner instead.]
Azure Sky Elder: [Hmph! Nonsense. None of the righteous sects would do that. Those tempted by such offers are most likely from the demonic path.]
Seeing the lively chat, Wei Chen continued.
"As the people in the chat said, based on what I've heard from my sources, this is the situation in some sects. But which specific sects? I don't know. Offending sect business is not a good prospect. I'll leave that to the Heaven-Chosen."
Little Wealthy Demon: [You know about the Heaven-Chosen too?]
Sword Dao Genius: [What's the Heaven-Chosen?]
"Yes, I know quite a bit about the Heaven-Chosen, folks, but let's save that for the next live. This one is about to end," Wei Chen said, leaving behind a bit of mystery for the future.
He then found a large rock to sit on and continued speaking toward the camera.
"Before we end this session, let's finish the topic we left off earlier." He gestured toward the Flaming Lotus King's tomb behind him.
"As you can see, this secret realm is one of the 'Scam Realms' I mentioned earlier in the live. So how do I categorize secret realms?"
The screen shifted to another infographic to support Wei Chen's explanation.
"As I explained before, I categorize secret realms based on the creator's intention."
"The first, which I consider the best, is the Naturally Formed Secret Realm." The infographic displayed an image of a realm entrance surrounded by trees, spirit beasts, and birds, signifying its natural origin.
"This kind of realm has no owner. It's formed by the excess of heaven and earth qi. Those who enter are free to pursue resources without extreme danger, since the hazards are defined by nature, not designed as a malicious trial by an owner."
"Of course, some naturally formed realms can still be dangerous. For example, if one is born in a harsh environment such as a zone where spirit beasts are more aggressive and fierce, or on an ancient battlefield where vengeful ghosts roam. But even without the secret realm, those places are already dangerous by nature." Wei Chen concluded.
"Next is the Legacy Secret Realm."
The infographic changed to show a large stele, artifacts, and scrolls near the realm's entrance.
"These secret realms are the second best. They are created by powerful beings who wish to sow good karma to help them survive heavenly tribulations, or by those who want their legacy to remain in the lower realm after ascending to higher realms."
"These realms are often under the control of sects. Many prominent sects rose to power because of the legacies within these secret realms. Whether it's heaven-defying cultivation techniques, powerful combat arts, rare artifacts, or even special knowledge, these are the treasures every force and faction thirsts for."
The infographic then showed the last type.
"As for the last, of course you know it, folks. It's the Scam Realm, the same type we just experienced."
"These realms are often disguised as legacy realms or simply serve as tombs for their owners. By nature, they set up trials, most of them harsh and requiring a specific physique or destiny to pass. More often than not, those very physiques or destinies are the factors the owner needs for their own rebirth."
"How can we identify whether a realm is a scam realm or not? I have a few methods in mind." Wei Chen raised a finger, signaling the first factor.
"First, do they have trials? And if so, do those trials require a specific physique or destiny to pass? This can often be discerned by bringing along a few Feng Shui experts or cultivators well-versed in basic divination."
"Divination? Doesn't he know that revealing the secrets of heaven will bring retribution?" Outside, one of the cultivators skilled in divination spoke with worry.
As if responding to their concern, Wei Chen continued.
"It's not considered revealing the secrets of heaven, so you don't need to worry about heavenly retribution. At most, you'll only pissed off the secret realm's owner, which can easily be avoided by simply leaving the realm. Once you exit, they can't do anything to you."
The infographic displayed the second picture, showing a young chibi cultivator meditating while an old ghostly figure watched in glee.
"Then comes the second factor. Does the realm want you to immediately cultivate their technique, or do something specific at the end of the trial when you obtain their technique? This is quite a dangerous indicator, because these techniques often open your spiritual sea to the owner, allowing them to invade and easily take your body."
Outside, the cultivators nodded in agreement.
"That make sense!"
"Lucky for us, we saw this before the Flaming Lotus Secret Realm officially opens." another cultivator remarked, agreeing with the others.
The infographic then showed the last factor, the image of an old ghostly cultivator inside a sarcophagus.
"As for the last factor you need to consider, are the owners still within their own secret realm? And if they are, do the three danger factors exist in that realm?" He paused, and then the infographic faded, revealing Wei Chen sitting on the rock.
"If so, there is a ninety-five percent chance that it is a scam realm," Wei Chen concluded.
"That's it, folks! That's my secret realm categorization. I hope this live has helped you all understand secret realms better and given you the knowledge to stay alive the next time you try your luck inside one."
"I am your host, Wei Chen, and I'll continue helping you understand and giving you tips to survive on your cultivation path!" Wei Chen said with a confident smile as he pointed toward the camera, and the feed came to an end.
As the live ended, the screen played an upbeat song while showing the credits.